ODI teams with best spin attacks ahead of ICC 2019 World Cup

The 2019 Cricket World is just under a year away and the ten One Day International teams which have qualified for the showpiece event are in the process of fine-tuning their squads.

With the English pitches being conducive to swing and seam, the teams shall definitely stack up their seam attacks to bombard the opposition with a heavy pace artillery. However, they shall also bolster their spin reserves so as to have variety in their bowling attack. Spinners, off late, have been strike weapons for teams in ODI cricket and hence teams would leave no stone unturned to have their frontline spinners in top gear to bamboozle their opponents.

So let us have a look at the sides which have the best spin attacks in ODIs heading into the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.

For selecting my top 5 ODI teams with best spinners, I have taken the ODI records of frontline spinners of all teams over the last three years (June 2015- June 2018).

For ranking my teams from 1 to 5, I have considered wicket-taking ability, depth in the spin attack, and the economy rate of the spinners as the main parameters.

#1 INDIA

Spinners have always been India’s strength and it is no less different at present. The 'Men in Blue' have a deadly spin duo in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal who have turned out some match winning spells for their team in ODIs. The spin twins have bamboozled the best of batting line-ups with their bagful of tricks. While Chahal rips his leg spinners and bowls the odd googly to cast a web, Yadav brings in variety with his left arm Chinaman.

The Chahal-Yadav duo has been successful in choking the opposition's runs in the middle overs and denting them. Such has been their impact on India’s ODI success that the think-tank can afford to rest seasoned spinners like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who have proven their mantle in the limited overs arena.

Indians also have Axar Patel who bowls his left arm spin with a lot of control and guile. Axar is more on the Jadeja mode and bowls with a flat trajectory, cramping batsman for room. He has been quite economical in ODIs and lends depth to the Indian spin attack. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar could be a very promising spinner for the Indians in the future.

Virat Kohli's Blue Brigade also has Kedhar Jadhav and Suresh Raina, both who can fill in as handy part-time spinners.

Indian spinners in ODIs (June 2015- June 2018)

Yuzvendra Chahal - Matches - 23 Wickets - 43 Avg - 21.83 Eco - 4.76

Kuldeep Yadav - Matches - 20 Wickets - 39 Avg - 20.02 Eco - 4.80

Axar Patel - Matches - 25 Wickets - 29 Avg - 34.79 Eco - 4.43

#2 Pakistan

Shahab Khan

Pakistan have quality in their spin attack with some world class tweakers. Yasir Shah, who has been their strike weapon in the Test arena, has been quite impressive in his limited ODI appearances. He gives his leg spinners a real tweak and has the flipper in his arsenal to outfox the batsmen.

Shadab Khan looks to have all ingredients in his bowling to become a great spinner in the future. The young off-spinner has a cool head on his shoulder and bowls his off-spin with great control and accuracy. Shadab can turn the ball viciously and set up his victims with his 'Doosra', the delivery that turns the other way.

All-rounder Imad Wasim is pretty handy with his left-arm spin, who bowls with a lot of control and gets in some economical spells for Pakistan in ODIs. Meanwhile, seasoned campaigners like Shoaib Malik and Mohammed Hafeez have been quite effective with their off-spin.

Pakistan Spinners in ODIs (June 2015- Jun 2018)

Imad Wasim – Matches - 30 Wickets - 28 Avg - 33.75 Eco - 4.48

Shadab Khan – Matches -17 Wickets - 24 Avg - 28.75 Eco - 4.92

Yasir Shah – Matches -12 Wickets - 14 Avg - 41.42 Eco - 5.39

#3 England

Adil Rashid

Hosts England have a pretty decent spin attack to compliment their seamers going into the 2019 World Cup.

Adil Rashid is one of the classical leg-spinners who had modelled his action on Pakistan's legendary spinner Mushtaq Ahmed. Rashid tempts the batsmen by deceiving them in the air with his uncanny flight. He is a clever customer and has a lot of variations in his kitty to keep the batsmen guessing.

Moeen Ali plays the perfect foil to Rashid by bowling a nagging length, which is hard to score off. Both Rashid and Moeen have the ability to get regular breakthroughs and get through their overs quickly.

England also have Joe Root who can roll over his arm to get some overs of spin.

England Spinners ODI Record (June 2015-June 2018)

Adil Rashid - Matches - 58 Wickets - 92 Avg - 30.32 Eco - 5.49

Moeen Ali - Matches - 54 Wickets - 44 Avg - 50.79 Eco - 5.16

#4 Afghanistan

Rashid Khan

Afghanistan’s meteoric rise in ODI cricket has been largely attributed to the potent spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Khan and Mujeeb are arguably one of the most lethal spin duo's in ODI's. Leg-spin sensation Rashid is a master of his trait and has a bagful of variations in his armoury to wreak havoc among batting line-ups. Besides his big turning leg spin, he bowls the googly with great deception to fox the batsman.

Mujeeb compliments Rashid with his finger spin. He is spot on with his line and turns the ball just enough to scalp his dismissals. Together, the spin twins have often run through the defences of the best batting units. Afghanistan also has Mohammed Nabi who is more than handy with his off-breaks. Nabi has the knack of picking up wickets regularly and hence adds depth to the Afghan spin arsenal.

Afghanistan ODI spinner Record (June 2015- June 2018)

Rashid Khan - Matches - 44 Wickets - 100 Avg - 14.4 Eco - 3.96

Mujeeb Ur Rahman - Matches - 15 Wickets - 35 Avg - 16.62 Eco - 4.04

Mohammad Nabi - Matches - 47 Wickets - 58 Avg - 26 Eco 4.21

#5 New Zealand

Mitchell Santner

The Black Caps, who are known for their potent pace attack, have some decent spinners in their ranks. Off-spinner Ish Sodhi and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner are not big turners of the ball but rely on their flight and drift. While Sodhi gets good purchase and bounce off the surface, Santner bowls a tight line around the batsmen to cramp them for room. Both Santner and Sodhi use their height to good advantage in getting some loop going for them.

The spinners have complimented the strong Kiwi pace attack and played their roles to perfection in the middle overs. The Kiwis also have the part-time spin of Colin Munro and Kane Williamson to fall back on.

New Zealand Spinners ODI Record (June 2015- June 2018)

Mitchell Santner - Matches - 50 Wickets - 55 Avg - 33.34 Eco - 4.72

Ish Sodhi - Matches - 22 Wickets - 29 Avg - 35.34 Eco - 5.62

A look into the other ODI teams who have some quality spinners but didn't make the cut as don't have too much depth in their spin bowling

South Africa

In a pace pronged South African attack, veteran spinner Imran Tahir has been Proteas lone Spin King. Tahir is a clever exponent of his trait and often gets a bagful of wickets. He mixes up his googlies with his stock leg spin delivery to outwit his batsman. The South Africans also have Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj who are bright prospects for the future. Meanwhile, all-rounder JP Duminy is quite handy with his off-spin in ODIs.

Imran Tahir - Matches - 47 Wickets - 69 Avg - 29.17 Eco - 4.94

Australia – Leg spinner Adam Zampa is Australia's frontline spinner who usually chips in with wickets in the middle overs. Allrounder Glen Maxwell is quite effective with his off-spin bowling as well.

Adam Zampa – Matches 31 Wickets 42 Avg 34.73 Eco 5.68

Windies: Though the West Indies have two world-class spinners in Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree, the T20 specialists don’t turn up regularly for the 'Maroon Brigade' in the ODIs. Devendro Bishoo does a decent job whenever he dons the national jersey for the Windies.

Sri Lanka: With veteran spinner Rangana Herath being confined to Test duties, Sri Lanka's spin duties in ODIs are shared by Akila Dhananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Seekkuge Prassana.

Bangladesh - Shakib Al Hassan, Mehidy Hassan and Nasir Hossain are the three spinners who will lead the spin attack for The Tigers.